One of the best parts of being an independent jewelry artist is getting to meet other members of the artist community. That’s how I found out about Argentium, a silver material more pure than sterling, and resistant to tarnish.

After researching the material, I decided to take the plunge, and ordered a bunch of Argentium. And wow! What a great material for SeaWeaves!

It’s been my long-term plan to step up to more valuable and desired metals. I first considered sterling silver, which we’re all familiar with. And we all know that sterling silver tarnishes. That’s because sterling is about 92.5% silver, and 7.5% other metals, including copper. And there’s the culprit.

Copper tarnishes when exposed to air, meaning that sterling silver has to be regularly cleaned to maintain its appearance. Argentium however, contains a greater amount of pure silver. I use Grade 935, which contains 93.5% pure silver, along with other alloys, such as a small amount of germanium.

The result is a metal that is extremely durable and 7 times more tarnish resistant than sterling!

True, Argentium costs more, and therefore the bracelets and necklaces I design and hand craft are slightly more expensive. But the difference is amazing. Essentially no tarnish. A beautiful lustrous finish. And a piece of art you can wear for years without worry.

To read more on Argentium, check out this article. And thanks to The Bench for the information on Argentium.